1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the catalytic conversion of carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and, more especially, to catalytically converting the CO content of gaseous admixtures thereof into H.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 by treating same with water vapor in the presence of a catalyst which is resistant to the action of sulfur, or "thio-resistant".
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to this art to react carbon monoxide with water vapor, essentially for purposes of hydrogen production. This conversion may be carried out in the presence of a suitable catalyst, specifically by the following reaction mechanism: EQU CO+H.sub.2 O.revreaction.H.sub.2 +CO.sub.2
Different catalysts have been proposed for this purpose, but it has been found that these catalysts are far from satisfactory, both in view of their activity and their stability over time.
Thus, according to published French Application No. 2,011,150, catalysts based on molybdenum and/or cobalt, and optionally the alkali metals, deposited onto an alumina support, have been proposed for the aforesaid conversion reaction, but without avoiding the aforenoted disadvantages.